Glare and Poor Night Vision

Have you ever driven at night and winced at the sight of oncoming headlights? Perhaps you have trouble walking through a dark house or seeing well while you drive down a dark street. Poor night vision and glare problems often go hand in hand, and can be difficult to live with.

Reasons for Poor Night Vision

Your diet, lifestyle, and age may all play a part in the quality of your night vision. Overexposure to sunlight is a key cause of poor night vision. Indoor tanning, a day at the beach, and even snow sports may have a lingering effect on your night vision. Diabetic patients suffer night vision loss due to high blood sugar damaging vessels and nerves within the eye. Another major cause of poor night vision is a deficiency of vitamin A or Zinc. This can be due to poor diet, or an medical condition that prevents proper absorption of the nutrients from your food. Last but not least is the formation of cataracts. The clouding or yellowing of your eye’s lens diminishes night vision substantially. Cataracts and diabetic damage have a gradual onset, which makes a yearly eye exam all the more important.

Poor night vision may possibly be improved with a healthy diet including leafy greens, vegetables, and lean proteins, management of diabetic conditions, and vision correction. Cataracts that are identified at your yearly eye exam should be evaluated and corrected when appropriate.

Coping with Glare

Glare is another very challenging vision issue to manage. First, beams of light bounce, then reflect from a source and then enter your eye, but instead of improving your vision it can cause a vision problem. Sunlight, reflections from shiny surfaces, and snow are all common sources of glare. Night driving is the most vulnerable activity for someone with a glare problem as oncoming headlights can blind you. New technology in manufacturing means that headlights are brighter, great for drivers but more hazardous for those with glare trouble. A good question to ask at your yearly eye exam is what techniques can protect you and other drivers from glare problems. Special lenses for your glasses, polarized sunglasses, clean windshields and anti-reflective car mirrors are all tools used to fight glare.

Poor night vision and problems with glare should be closely monitored by your Phoenix optometrist. Eat well, make sensible choices, and adhere strictly to a yearly eye exam schedule to ensure your continued safety and vision comfort.